The Houston Rockets have the Memphis Grizzlies’ number this campaign, as they are on the verge of sweeping Ja Morant and company in the 2024-25 NBA regular season. Will the Rockets go walis walis on Memphis? Or, will the Grizzlies prevent a sweep?

Catch this game live on Friday, January 31, 2025 at 10:30 AM, Manila time

Away: Houston Rockets (32-14/ 17-6 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Fred VanVleet
  • Jalen Green
  • Amen Thompson
  • Dillon Brooks
  • Alperen Sengun (Questionable)

The Rockets are burning like jet fuel of late, having won all of their last four games and five of their last six. And they didn’t just lottery-bound teams in that stretch, as two of those wins came at the expense of the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

They also defeated the Boston Celtics in Beantown before handling business in a 100-96 win over the Atlanta Hawks on the road on Wednesday. The Rockets’ prospects of extending their win streak are looking bright, especially when considering the fact that Houston is 3-0 straight up versus Memphis this season. Jalen Green is a big thorn in the side of Memphis, as he has averaged 30.3 points on 53.3 percent shooting in those three meetings. Alperen Sengun, however, could potentially sit out Friday’s date with Memphis, as he’s labeled questionable at the moment with a calf issue. Houston’s stout defense has also caused the Grizzlies to turn the ball over an average of 19.0 times in their head-to-heads this campaign.

The Rockets are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 visits to Memphis. Moreover, Houston has won six of its last seven meetings with the Grizzlies.

Advertisement

Home: Memphis Grizzlies (31-16/19-5 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Ja Morant
  • Desmond Bane
  • Jaylen Wells
  • Jaren Jackson Jr.
  • Zach Edey

The Grizzlies are looking to bounce back following a streak-snapping 143-106 demolition at the hands of Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks in the Big Apple on Tuesday. Just like in their previous losses to Houston, the Grizzlies struggled mightily with ball security against New York, which forced Memphis to lose possession of the leather a whopping 26 times. 

That was just brutal for the Grizzlies, who are 30th in the NBA with 16.7 turnovers per game.  But even though they are clumsy with the ball, the Grizzlies are still the highest-scoring team in the NBA right now, as they are averaging 123.3 points per game. They are sixth with a 56.2 effective field goal percentage and have a penchant for second-chance points, thanks to their being second in the league with a 29.6 offensive rebound percentage. 

The Grizzlies have covered the spread in all of their last three home games. They have also won eight of their last 10 games at FedExForum.

Picks

Spread: Memphis Grizzlies (-5.0)

Over/Under: Over (238.0)

Advertisement